About Me

I enjoy fellowshiping with others. Helping retired folks with upkeep on their homes. Love to minister in nursing homes, churches, and one on one. My wife is a gospel singer song writer and she ministers along with me also.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Who is your finger pointed
at? Our country is in a mess. How do we get out of the mess? Many
say that there is absolutely no way to recover. I want to read you
a passage that will help us to see that hopeless situations are not
hopeless.

2Kings 6:24-7:20

24Some time later, however, King
Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria.
25As a result, there was a great famine in the city. The siege
lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of
silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces#

Hebrew sold for 80 shekels
[2 pounds, or 0.9 kilograms] of silver, and 1/4 of
a cab [0.3 liters] of dove’s dung sold for 5 shekels
[2 ounces, or 57 grams]. Dove’s dung may be a variety
of wild vegetable.

of silver.

26One day as the king of Israel was
walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him,
“Please help me, my lord the king!”

27He answered, “If the Lord
doesn’t help you, what can I do? I have neither food from the
threshing floor nor wine from the press to give you.” 28But
then the king asked, “What is the matter?”

She replied, “This woman said to
me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my
son tomorrow.’ 29So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next
day I said to her, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,’ but she
has hidden her son.”

30When the king heard this, he tore
his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall,
the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe
next to his skin. 31“May God strike me and even kill me if I
don’t separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders this very
day,” the king vowed.

32Elisha was sitting in his house
with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to
summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the
elders, “A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he
arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his
master’s steps following him.”

33While Elisha was still saying
this, the messenger arrived. And the king#

Hebrew he.

said, “All this misery is from
the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

1Elisha
replied, “Listen to this message from the Lord! This is what
the Lord says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria,
five quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver,#

2The officer assisting the king
said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the
Lord opened the windows of heaven!”

But Elisha replied, “You will see
it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any
of it!”

Lepers Visit the Enemy Camp

3Now there were four men with
leprosy#

Or with a contagious skin
disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this passage
can describe various skin diseases.

sitting at the entrance of the city
gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked
each other. 4“We will starve if we stay here, but with the
famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we
might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they
let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would
have died anyway.”

5So at twilight they set out for
the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the
camp, no one was there! 6For the Lord had caused the Aramean army
to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of
horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of
Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians#

Possibly and the people of
Muzur, a district near Cilicia.

to attack us!” they cried to one
another. 7So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning
their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled
for their lives.

8When the lepers arrived at the
edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating
and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and
clothing and hid it. 9Finally, they said to each other, “This
is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing
it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will
certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the
people at the palace.”

10So they went back to the city and
told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the
Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses
and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but
there wasn’t a single person around!” 11Then the gatekeepers
shouted the news to the people in the palace.

Israel Plunders the Camp

12The king got out of bed in the
middle of the night and told his officers, “I know what has
happened. The Arameans know we are starving, so they have left
their camp and have hidden in the fields. They are expecting us
to leave the city, and then they will take us alive and capture
the city.”

13One of his officers replied, “We
had better send out scouts to check into this. Let them take five
of the remaining horses. If something happens to them, it will be
no worse than if they stay here and die with the rest of us.”

14So two chariots with horses were
prepared, and the king sent scouts to see what had happened to
the Aramean army. 15They went all the way to the Jordan River,
following a trail of clothing and equipment that the Arameans had
thrown away in their mad rush to escape. The scouts returned and
told the king about it. 16Then the people of Samaria rushed out
and plundered the Aramean camp. So it was true that five quarts
of choice flour were sold that day for one piece of silver, and
ten quarts of barley grain were sold for one piece of silver,
just as the Lord had promised. 17The king appointed his officer
to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and
trampled to death as the people rushed out.

So everything happened exactly as
the man of God had predicted when the king came to his house.
18The man of God had said to the king, “By this time tomorrow
in the markets of Samaria, five quarts of choice flour will cost
one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain will cost one
piece of silver.”

19The king’s officer had replied,
“That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of
heaven!” And the man of God had said, “You will see it happen
with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”
20And so it was, for the people trampled him to death at the
gate!
THIS WAS A HOPELESS IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION, HOWEVER GOD 'S PROPHET SPOKE THAT IT WOULD TURN AROUND. ONE PERSON SAID IT COULD NOT HAPPEN EVEN IF GOD OPEND UP WINDOWS IN HEAVEN. THAT PERSON DID NOT GET TO PARTAKE OF THE DELIVERANCE.

2 Chronicles
7:14

14Then
if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and
pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will
hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their
land.

LOOKS LIKE THE MAIN FINGER POINTING IS AT THE CHRISTIANS. GOD'S PEOPLE HOLD THE KEY TO GETTING THIS NATION (USA) BACK ON TRACK. AS WE TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS AND PRAY GOD WILL HEAL OUR LAND.

Wicked: hurtful, bad, naughty,
opposite of God's ways

Heal: restoring to normal, cure,
stitching as a physician

STITCHES HOLD THE WOUNDS TOGETHER UNTIL THE HEAL.

Exodus 15: 22-25

Bitter
Water at Marah

22Then Moses led the people of
Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert
of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without
finding any water. 23When they came to the oasis of Marah, the
water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah
(which means “bitter”).

24Then the people complained and
turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they
demanded. 25So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord
showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and
this made the water good to drink.

It was there at Marah that the Lord
set before them the following decree as a standard to test their
faithfulness to him.

MA-RAH : BITTER

USA we have great
untapped resources. Our president has made some decisions that are
bad and some that look bad when it comes to natural resources. He
has stopped a lot of oil drilling and regulated coal production to
the point it has shut down much coal production. This causes a loss
of jobs and higher energy prices, which causes all prices to go up.
This is hard on all of us in the short run, but it can be a blessing
in the long run.

Those resources will be
there later when we really need them just as the water was there for
the children of Israel at Ma-Rah

Monday, June 23, 2008

GOD CAN COOKPsalm 127 (KJV.)1. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.1 Corinthians 3:10 . According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereuponWe must understand and follow the plan in order to build anything. You have to know how to read the blueprint language. God has a blueprint for your life. A plan for you to live and walk out in this life. He has made all the provisions you will need. You must know the provisions and how to receive them. How do I get what God says I have into my life?God knows how to Cook. He is a master Chef. Anybody here ever cook anything? Ever cook something that you needed to follow a recipe? We in the past have talked about setting a precedent. That is the first time something is done it sets a standard for all other things of a similar nature to follow. Example was the first miracle Jesus did in turning the water into wine. All other miracles will follow that same precedent. You have a need. You ask what to do about that need. You listen to the Lord and do what he says. Then the miracle happens. The need is met. This is found in the Gospel of John chapter 2 verses 1-11. The second miracle is found in John 4:46-54. All of the elements that were present in the first miracle were present in the second, and followed, and a miracle happened.The Lord has me at times see the same teaching in a different light, so it can be grasp by people who did not understand it the way it had been presented before. That is why I said God is a master Chef, and he can cook. Every cook needs recipes. The bible is God’s cookbook full of recipes. Every recipe has a balance. It has a list of ingredients that when put together, mixed, and baked or fried give a end result of something good tasting to eat. Leave out some ingredients or put too much of one or more ingredients, or over cook, or under cook the recipe, and not so good of a result.example.. I worked at a restaurant and the man who fixed the salad bar had to make sweet and sour potatoes. Ever eat sweet and sour potatoes? There is a balance in the sweet and sour taste that when done right compliments each other and tastes good. This recipe made 5 gallons at a time. One of the ingredients was 2 cups of salt. He read it wrong and added 2 quarts of salt. That was the worst tasting mess ever.. One thing done in the wrong amount ruined the resulting food. He had to do it all over. A cook book has many varied recipes in many different kinds of foods. God wants you to look at His Word as a cookbook with many recipes for life in all areas of your life. If you follow the instructions you will get the desired results.Here is one recipe for life.Passage Mark 11:22-29(KVV.)22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.27. And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,28. And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?Here is another recipe for life (Salvation)Passage Romans 10:8-10 (KJV.)8. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.Follow it and you will be saved. I have been places where the minister said all who wish to be saved raise your hand. Ah yes I see those 5 hands. We have 5 new brothers and sisters in the Lord. That is not the way God said we get saved. We must follow the word like it says. There are many in churches thinking they are saved and they are not. They are trying to live a christian life and can’t. They keep falling and getting into things they should be able to withstand. Ever wonder why so many fall away?This is what can happen when we don’t follow the Word as it is written.Matthew 7:20-2320. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquitySome recipes have a ingredient that you can replace with another and have a great result. Take blueberry muffins, you can replace the blueberries with raspberries or strawberries and have a great muffin with a different taste. However you still have to follow the recipes other ingredients and baking instructions.God has many things in His word that we can partake of such as healing, deliverance, protection, and we can add them to Romans 10:8-10 and get the results we are seeking.Example 1 Peter 2:24Passage 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV.)24. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.Follow the recipe for life the Lord gave us in Romans 10:8-10Listen to the scripture in first Peter 2:24. Confess it with our mouth, and believe it in our heart. With the mouth confession is made unto healing.

Hebrews 11:1-6 Faith, hope, and evidence are always main ingredient’s in God’s recipes for life, however they need an activator ingredient that will solidify them. An activator is a converter that helps change things.1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.2. For by it the elders obtained a good report.3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.5. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

All of God’s recipes have a base ingredient that must be in every thing(faith),and an activator ingredient, or it won’t work. The activator is found in Galatians 5:6, and that ingredient is LOVE.Galatians 5:6 KJV.6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.I have a Betty Crocker cook book. All of the recipes are hers, however I can follow them and cook up the same results she got. All of the recipes for life in the Bible are God’s, however sent Jesus to give us what we need to use His recipes in our lives and get God’s results.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

IT’S TIME TO OPEN OUR EYE’S AND SEE WHAT GOD IS REALLY SAYING.....PROVERBS 22:6 NEW LIVINGDirect your children onto the right path,and when they are older, they will not leave it.KING JAMESTrain up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.EVER HEAR THAT SCRIPTURE BEFORE?I HAVE HEARD IT MANY TIMES. MOST OF THE TIME IT’S SOMEONE SAYING, " I RAISED MY CHILD RIGHT AND HE/SHE IS COMING BACK TO GOD."SOMETIME BACK I WAS TALKING TO A PERSON ABOUT CHILDREN, AND THEY WERE SPEAKING ABOUT HOW THEY PRAY FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO TURN AROUND AND SERVE GOD. I STARTED TO TELL THEM WHAT I’M GOING TO TELL YOU TONIGHT. I STARTED TO MENTION ABOUT TRAINING A CHILD AND THEY CUT ME OFF AND SAID, " I DON’T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I RAISED THEM RIGHT, THERE IS NO PROBLEM THERE." TO THAT I SAY NO YOU DID NOT. THAT TELLS ME THERE WAS A PRIDE ISSUE THERE AND THEY WERE IN NO WAY TO BLAME. THERE WAS A SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE IN THAT PERSON. I DID NOT PURSUE THE CONVERSATION ANY FARTHER FOR A SELF-RIGHTEOUS SPIRIT AND ATTITUDE IS BLINDED TO THE TRUTH, AND WON’T LISTEN TO OR PONDER ON THE TRUTH. I KNOW I DID NOT TRAIN MY CHILDREN IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, BECAUSE I WAS A HURTING, DISILLUSIONED, OFFENDED CHRISTIAN DURING THOSE YEARS. I WAS NOT TRAINED IN THE WAY I SHOULD GO AS I WAS GROWING UP. SO MANY PEOPLE THINK IF I TAKE THEM TO CHURCH AND SUNDAY SCHOOL AND I READ THE BIBLE TO THEM IT IS TRAINING THEM IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, HOWEVER THAT IS ONLY APART OF TRAINING. IF WE HAVE CHILDREN NOT WALKING WITH THE LORD LIKE THEY SHOULD, THEN THE REAL TRUTH IS THIS, WE DID NOT TRAIN THEM IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, OR THEY WOULD NOT HAVE DEPARTED. THEN WHAT HAPPENED?WHAT HAPPENED? THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. WE SUBSTITUTED TEACHING AND TAKING THEM TO CHURCH AND SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR TRAINING. WE TAUGHT THEM THINGS THAT WE DID NOT LIVE IN FRONT OF THEM. WE TAUGHT THEM FORGIVENESS, BUT LIVED A LIFE OF BACKBITING, GOSSIP, AND BEING JUDGMENTAL IN THEIR PRESENCE. WE TRAINED THEM THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE TAUGHT THEM. THEN WE HAVE HUNG OUR HOPE ON A SCRIPTURE THAT DOESN’T EVEN APPLY TO THEM COMING BACK. PROVERBS 22:6 IS NOT ABOUT CHILDREN COMING BACK , BUT RATHER ABOUT THEM NEVER DEPARTING IN THE FIRST PLACE.TRAIN MEANS TO DRILL BY NOT ONLY TEACHING BUT ALSO DOING AND LIVING IT IN FRONT OF THEM.IF WE HAD TRULY DONE PROVERBS 22:6 OUR CHILDREN WOULD HAVE GOTTEN SAVED AND WALKED WITH GOD FROM YOUTH THROUGH OLD AGE AND NEVER DEPARTED FROM THAT WALK. IF WE DIDN’T DO IT RIGHT AND OUR CHILDREN HAVE DEPARTED FROM WALKING WITH THE LORD THEN WHAT SCRIPTURE DO WE TURN TO FOR HELP.JEREMIAH 31:15-17 KJV. IS A GOOD ONE. TO REST OUR HOPE AND FAITH ON.15. Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.16. Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.17. And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING OR WOULD II’ m a little different. I always ask the Lord to teach me through anything, to show me a lesson from any source. Always the Bible, and maybe a song, a tv show, a movie, a story, anything. As I was on my way to the post office some time back I turned on the radio. A song came on talking about things that the singer wished he would have done, but now can’t. Things like ( got to know his father better, or told his brother he loved him as he went off to war instead of just saying goodby ). You hear people all the time say I wouldn’t change a thing, it is what has made what I am today. Let me ask you, " Could you be better than what you are, and could your relationships be in a better place than they are today? "The song went on to say, " Some people say I wouldn’t change a thing even if I could well I would." In my own life I would change some things in my past if I could. I would have gotten to know my dad better and why he was the way he was.. I would have gotten some understanding of the bible and grown in God, instead of walking in bitterness.. I would have told my sister that I loved her instead of being silent as she laid there on that hospital bed dying. I was 18 years and 4 months old when I got saved and I spent the next 26 years walking in bitterness. That is 46 years and 4 months of going and living in the wrong way. So yes I would change some things.HEBREWS 12:15AMPLIFIED15. Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it–I left a wake of contaminated and defiled people behind me. I never was in a church that was instructing people as to how to live based on God’s word so I lived as the world. I was easy to hurt and I would seek to get back at those who hurt me. No church taught me to walk in forgiveness and to not take offence. When we come to Christ we are babes and need nurturing and teaching, because we know nothing. I finally grew and God got me on track, but there was a lot of wasted years and damaged people to try to fix. A few minutes of acting wrong can take years and even a lifetime to correct or never. That is why I speak out to those I see walking the wrong path, in hope’s that I can jog them enough to turn then in the right direction. So they don’t wake up one day with a mountain of regrets.Taking offence and walking in un-forgiveness is where the devil will attack. If he can get you there he will lead you into bitterness and that will eat you up along with everyone who comes in contact with you.Forgiveness is the main thing. Do not take offence at what others do, but rather walk in instant forgiveness. Sometimes we see it different than it is meant, or don’t understand why it was done that way, and it wasn’t meant to hurt or harm, but we have taken it that way.Mark 11:25-26 Amplified25And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.26. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.Did you now you can be caught up in un-forgiveness even with people who are dead and gone. It isn’t hurting them, but it’s killing you. Sometimes it is buried deep in your heart, lurking there, holding you back, and you don’t even realize it. I am going to share with you an account of what happened to me one day as I was driving home. I had been to a town up north and was returning, and as I approached my town there are two cemeteries just outside of the city limits, one of which my dad is buried. The Lord spoke to me to turn in and drive up to my dads grave. I did this and parked beside his grave. I asked, "why am I here?"The Lord said we have to address some issues that are deep within your heart which are holding you back, and you don’t even realize it. Ok what do I do now? The Lord said, " This will not help your dad for he can not hear you, however it will help you. I want you to look at his grave and speak to it as if you dad could hear you. Tell him what you would say if he could hear you. Talk just like he was standing before you." I sat there looking at that grave and thinking what would I say. Then it poured out. I said," Dad you left this earth way to soon. I never really got to know you. You were always just outside of my reach. I never understood why you never got close to your family. When you were there it was like you weren’t. You provided for us, but were not a part of us it seemed. Lot’s of things have happened since you have passed on. I would like to introduce you to your granddaughter Zoe and your grandson John, which you never got to see as they were born after your passing. I have held it against you for keeping us at a distance and leaving this life while in that state. Why were you the way you were is what I would like to know? Lord that is what I would say to my dad if he were hear to listen" The Lord then spoke to me and said," Mike you have harbored un-forgiveness towards your dad, and it’s deep within you, and we can now deal with it, and get rid of it once and for all. I’m going to show you why your dad was like he was, what made him that way. First he loved you and all his family more than you can understand, and that made him hold you at arms length. He was not always that way. He was very close to you the first 5 years of your life. He was very close to his own dad. Your dad never leaned on me, and held everything inside himself. I never created man to lean on himself. A person can not take the stress of this like upon himself, he must give his cares to me, because he can’t deal with them. Your dad tried to deal with it himself. When you were 5 your grandpa died. He ask to speak with your dad. The conversation they had that day will never be revealed, but that is the day your dad changed in his family life. Your dad took that conversation to the grave with him. When asked about it he would say it was between his dad and him and on one else. I have to respect that and can not reveal it to you what was said there that day. I can tell you this. The passing of your grandpa hurt your dad deep, because they were so close. He tried to deal with it in his own way not letting me comfort him. So your dad never wanted to hurt that deep ever again, and started to push people away and build walls to protect his heart from that kind of hurt ever again. Now you can understand why." I left that cemetery that day forgiving my dad and with a new understanding of the man. I talked to my mom about what happened that day. She said that my dad was loving, out going, and very close to his family, and the day my grandpa died it all changed. That confirmed everything the Lord spoke to me that day in the cemetery.So I say to anyone reading this you may not know the whole story and may never now it about why others acted they way they did in your life, but you must forgive anyway. It will only hold you back if you don’t.Matthew 18:22-35 KJV.22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.29. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.31. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN A GREAT DEBT THAT WE COULD NOT PAY AND WE SHOULD FORGIVE OTHERS.....YES I WOULD CHANGE THE PAST IF I COULD, BUT SINCE I CAN’T I WILL CHANGE THE PRESENT. PLEASE SEARCH YOUR HEARTS’S AND ASK THE LORD TO SHOW YOU THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW SO THAT IN 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 YEARS FROM NOW YOU WON’T HAVE TO SAY I WISH I COULD GO BACK AND CHANGE THAT. SEARCH YOUR HEART’S AND SEE IF YOU HARBOR ANY UN-FORGIVENESS TOWARDS ANY AN FORGIVE THEM. THIS WAS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE SA IT TOOK ME BACK TO THAT DAY IN THE CEMETERY, AND IT WAS JUST AS REAL NOW AS THEN. THE TEARS FLOWED AND THE MEMORY OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN, CAME RUSHING IN FILLING MY HEART. IT IS WORTH IT TO RELIVE IN ORDER TO HELP OTHERS. MY DAD DID GET HIS HEART RIGHT AND IS WITH THE LORD. HE MADE IT RIGHT THE DAY HE DIED. I WILL GET TO SEE HIM AGAIN.

Monday, April 21, 2008

THE MELTED HEARTTHE TROUBLE WITH PROBLEMSDISTRACTIONSJohn 16:33 KJV.These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.It doesn’t matter if you are in the will of God or not, it is a fact that troubles will encounter problems. It is clear from the word of God that problems will come your way. In this life problems will come whether by circumstances, or by people. Jesus said in the world you will have tribulation ( pressure, problems, trouble ). So if problems will come, then we should learn all we can about problems and the effect that they will have on our lives, and how to deal with them.The number one thing we need to know above all else is that there is a danger attached to problems. The danger with problems is the DISTRACTION FACTOR. If you don’t watch it problems will DISTRACT you from the truth of the word that you have embraced and know to be true. You can become so distracted that you become a forgetful hearer, instead of a DOER of the WORD. The whole bottom line truth of the Parable of the sower is the distraction factor. The sower teaches us that the fruit we will receive from the Word of God sown into your life is going to be dependant upon the amount of attention that you place upon it. " The degree of importance that you place on what you hear determines the quality of the fruit produced. "Mark 4:24 KJV.24. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.Mark 4:24 AMP.24. And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.Small amount = small backLarge amount = large backIt is very clear that we should not become so taken up by the problem that we become distracted from the truth that God has revealed to us.Peter gives us a good example of this. He knew by revelation from God that Jesus was the Christ. But when it came down to it he was so distracted by the fear of the people and the Roman Soldiers that he Denied Christ. He got his heart off what he new to be true, and focused on the distraction of the problem at hand.Mark 11:2323. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.The mountain of distraction. There are people so captivated with the mountain that they have forgotten what God said to do about the mountain in their lives. So captivated with their problem that it is all they see and all they talk about. If we don’t watch it we can become so captivated our problem at work ( boss - employ.. Employ - boss relationship ) that we forget to conduct ourselves as God said to do in those positions. Divorce is so prevalent today because people get so distracted by their marriage problems that they forget to do what God said to do in a marriage.So we must realize that the one of main dangers connected to problems is the DISTRACTION FACTOR.The next danger is once we get distracted and have our eyes on the wrong thing, we most likely will stop feeding on the Word and will become depleted.Eph. 5:17-19 KJV.17. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;The word Filled in this scripture means TO REPLETE.Replete: saturated, To cram, It also means to level up.. Such as to fill a pot hole.We have a responsibility to replete, to cram, to level up.If you can replete then you can deplete.We can...1. Become distracted and because of that we can2. Become depleted.If we don’t watch it we can become so depleted that our hearts melt.A person with a melted heart is in a very dangerous place.Joshua 2:8-118. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;9. And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.10. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.11. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.Verse 8 uses the word Faint which means Melt.. (They Melted)Verses 10 and 11 tells us their hearts melted, and their courage left them because of what they heard.Verses 10 and 11 in the Amplified Version says this.10. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the [east] side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.11. When we heard it, our hearts melted, neither did spirit or courage remain any more in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.These people were facing the Lord and His people, and when they heard what The Lord had done to the enemies of the Israelites they were fearful.1. They Heard2. They melted or fainted in heart.3. There was no more spirit or courage in them.A melted heart can happen to anyone who puts his trust in what he see’s or hears, instead of what the Lord has said.The war against Ai went bad for Israel, because of sin in the camp. Something wasn’t right in their walk, and a small group of people defeated the Israelites in battle. Let’s look at what happened.Joshua 7:1-51. But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.3. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.4. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.There were problems caused by the disobedience and sin of one in the camp. These problems cause the heart of the people to melt.

NOW let’s go to Joshua Chapter 14. This is approx. 45 years after the spies gave the evil report. Joshua has become the leader and taken them into the promised land.Joshua 14:6-7 KJV.6. Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.7. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.Caleb said speaking of the spy mission that he had back the word AS IT WAS IN HIS HEART.What was that word. This is that word spoken by Caleb, " Let us go up at once and possess it for we are well able. CALEB SPOKE FROM HIS HEART.2 Corinthians 4:1313. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;Now the 10 spies report after Caleb’s report was this.Numbers 13:30-3330. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.31. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.32. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.33. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.Joshua 14:7-87. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.8. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.We must learn from this. Caleb spoke what he believed, and the 10 spies spoke as a result of what they saw. Caleb had faith in what God had said, and the spies had fear of what they had seen.Proverbs 16:23 KJV.23. The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.2 Corinthians 5:77. (For we walk by faith, not by sightProverbs 16:23 tells us that the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips. 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. Caleb was a man of faith, and he kept his mouth hooked to his heart. The 10 spies walked by sight and kept there lips hooked to their flesh and mind. If you don’t watch it you will get your mouth hooked up to your flesh and mind and be distracted by what you see and hear.Moses tells the account of sending in the spies in Numbers chapters 13 and 14, and also in Deuteronomy 1:22-28. Let’s look at the account in Deuteronomy.Deuteronomy 1:22-3222. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.23. And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:24. And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.25. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.26. Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:27. And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.28. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.29. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.30. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;31. And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,33. Who went in theThe spies were sent in to give a report on what the people were like and what the cities were like and what the land was like. They were not sent in to make a judgement on whether they were able to conquer it, for they had God’s word on the fact that it was given unto them already. The truth of how easy it was going to be is revealed in Exodus chapter 23. It didn’t matter how big the giants were. The fight was the Lords. He had prepared an army of Hornets to do the battle. And also given them a time table on how long it would take and why.Let’s lookExodus 23:24-3324. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.25. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.26. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.27. I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.28. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.29. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.30. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.31. And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.32. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.33. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.When taking a hunter safety course I learned about the process of succession. What the Lord was doing here is causing succession in one area and stopping it in another area.Succession: the act or process of one person's taking the place of another in the enjoyment of or liability for rights or duties or bothIf the Israelites would obey and go in an possess the land as the Lord had wanted, he would have sent in hornets to drive the giants out little by little. Little by little in the process of time the land would become the Israelites. A succession of the land from the giants to them.The other side of succession that the Lord would stop is this. If you clear land over time the succession process will cause the land to return back to a wild state. So if the Lord cleared out the whole land all at once, and the Israelite’s didn’t have enough people to inhabit the land, and the wild beasts would come in and multiply against them before they were populated enough to fill the land. So God’s plan was to slowly move out the giants and allow the Israelites to multiply and move in and fully occupy the land which would not take less than a year. It would take some time, but they would not have to fight any battles.Back to Deuteronomy 1:2828. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.DISCOURAGED in verse 28 means Melted, or Fainted.The original plan for the spies was to find out the best route into the land to travel by, and what cities they would encounter along the way. They had a lot of people to move and needed to know the best way. They got distracted by the giants and the walled cities and forgot that the Lord would fight their battles for them.Another word for the melted heart is Cast Down.Psalms 42:5-6 KJV.5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.Another sign of a melted heart is being Overwhelmed.Psalms 61:1-21. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.When you see the melted heart it is speaking of a heart that is distracted, fainted, discouraged, cast down, and overwhelmed. The melted heart comes in by two doors. What we see, and what we hear. ( when they (we) heard, and when they (we) saw) It is possible for a persons heart to become melted. And it is possible for this to occur through what we see, watch, view, and what we hear, listen to, and think on.The most important issue is what will occur if we allow our hearts to become melted. As we examine the fruits of the melted heart it is going to be possible to not only spot those who may be melted in their hearts, but we may find areas of our own lives where our heart is melted. You can be melted in one area and not another. As I study deeper into this I have found areas where my heart was melted, and I see people all around with melted hearts concerning their marriages, children, jobs, and security concerning their future.

LET’S LOOK AT THE FRUITS OF THE MELTED HEART.Number 1 Your possibilities become impossibilities within your mind.Number 2 You think the obtaining of the promise of God is conditional upon the removal of external conditions or circumstances. Isn’t it interesting that Israel, before they knew there were walled cities and giants in the land, were ready to go in and possess the land. It’s our land. The Lord has given it to us. It’s going to be glorious over there. THEN they heard of the walled cities, and they heard of the giants, and their hearts melted. They felt these things needed to be removed before they could obtain the promise of God. The present conditions and circumstances does not dictate whether the promises of God are obtainable. The only way the circumstances can stop the promises is if you let them stop your faith. If giants need to be removed they will be as we step into the promise. God can deliver any promise in any circumstance that stands in the land. He can supply your needs even in a bad economy.[ I heard a testimony of a young lady. She said it was dark and her car was not in a well lighted area. It was in an alley. She came out to her car and it didn’t start. It didn’t even make a sound when she turned the key. She prayed Lord help my car start. As she turned the key again it fired right up and she drove off. When she got home and told her dad the car didn’t want to start till she prayed. He went out to check the battery cable connection and to his surprise there was no battery just the cables laying there. Later they found out that a gang had taken the battery and was waiting in the bushes to attack and rob who ever came to the car. It freaked them out to see the car drive away while the battery was on the ground beside them in the bushes. ] God doesn’t need a battery to make a car run, and he doesn’t need the giants to be gone before you step into the land. He only needs you to believe..Number 3. Another fruit of the melted heart is that YOU DRAW BACK. When Israel’s heart was melted the one thing they wanted to do was go back, back to Egypt. You start pulling backwards. You draw back.2 Tim. 1:7 KJV.7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.FEAR: timidity, cowardliness, or to pull back.Could be that if you are showing signs of pulling back, showing signs of surrender, turning your back on the possibility of ever experiencing the life (promise) of God in an area of your life, if could just be that you are experiencing a melted heart.Proverbs 4:23 KJV.23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.Proverbs 4:23 New Living23. Guard your heart above all else,for it determines the course of your life.We must keep our hearts full of the Word and full of faith and hope, for out of the heart will come the answers to the problems of life or the defeat of a melted heart.Number 4. Another fruit of a melted heart is You will not go where God says go. You won’t step out with a melted heart. You will cower in fear.Number 5. You won’t do what God says do. People with a melted heart won’t go and they won’t do what God asks them ... WHY? Their heart is melted, they have lost their courage, they have fainted, lost their strength, their passion, and their drive is gone. They have become so distracted by their problems and focused on the enormity of it, that they have become depleted, and their heart has melted.They look at the problem and think nothing can save my marriage, nothing can turn my job around, or whatever the problem is they see it so big it can’t be fixed. They just give up and drown in a melted heart thinking they are alone and no one cares.Number 6. Another fruit of a melted heart is they cry or weep a lot. If you have spent hours, days and into weeks weeping over your marriage, or the lack of a spouse, your job, your health, your children, or the future, it may be a sign that you are experiencing a melted heart in the area that brings you to tears.Numbers 14:1-4 KJV.1. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!3. And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into EgyptAfter the evil report of the spies was heard the people lost hope and gave way to a melted heart. We see some of the signs in Numbers 14 :1-4. We see weeping, and murmuring against those who did not have a melted heart, and fear for themselves and their wives and children, and they wanted to turn back.

Number 7. Another fruit of a melted heart is murmuring.As I just stated we see that sign raise up in numbers 14:2.People who complain and murmur are producing signs of a melted heart. Notice they wanted to turn back in verse four.Their possibilities are now turned to impossibilities.They are not going where God told them to go.They are not going what God said to do.They are drawing back.When a heart is melted a sense of Hopelessness prevails.A nothing I can do about it attitude prevails.A TRAPPED FEELING WILL BE EXPERIENCED.Your former passions are only a memory.The drive that once propelled you through the thick and thin is a distant memory.Once you focus only on the problem and all that needs to be corrected you lose sight of the answer. The answer slips on by and with it all your hope and courage also. You no longer stand up for what is right and what is yours. Your drive is only something you sue to have.We really need to search our hearts and see if we have a melted heart in any area of our lives. Any areas that we have given up in, that we complain about, murmur about, lost courage in, no longer stand up for the truth in, lost hope in, lost our drive in, or lost our passion .. If we find these things in us it’s a sign that we’ve become so taken up with our problems, so captivated by our issues, that we have become melted.Psalms 42: 5-6 KJV.5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.David realized that his soul was cast down. We must check our soul, and guard our heart. If we find our heart in a cast down melted state then we must do as David, and put our self in remembrance of what God has done and promised.Get our focus back on the Word Of Truth. David knew he couldn’t allow his heart to remain in a cast down state for an extended period of time. You can’t either. At the first inkling of a melted cast down heart you must get that out or it will pull you down.Psalm 61:1-2 KJV.1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.OVERWHELMED: faint. Covered, feebleDavid knew his heart was in trouble, that it was overwhelmed. He was also aware that he could not allow his heart to stay in that condition. It is dangerous to remain in a melted state for hours, days weeks, or months over issues and problems. We must realize that we have a responsibility to maintain our hearts. It’s not going to be what Pastor so and so can do, or brother so and so, or even what our spouse can do for us. It is going to be what we must do for ourselves. Others can step in and help, however if they don’t recognize the fruits of a melted heart in you then no one will step in to help. Can’t wait for other to help. We must patrol our own hearts and keep them strong.IF WE HAVE LOST OUR COURAGE, IF WE HAVE LOST OUR STRENGTH, OR IF WE HAVE LOST OUR PASSION, DRIVE, AND EXCITEMENT, THEN COULD IT BE THAT WE ARE DEPLETED?a DEPLETED PERSON IS HEADED FOR A MELTED HEART. We must ask ourselves, " WHAT DO I DO, WHAT AM I TO DO?" If it be that I am depleted and melted in areas of my life. If I have given up, if I have total hopelessness in areas of my life. Go to the rock that is higher than I. The Spirit of God is here to guide and lead us into all truth. WE first have to realize Yeah that’s me and I need help in that area.It may be about your job.It may be about your future.It may be about your kids.It may be about your ministries.It may be about anything concerning you.There is a good possibility that somewhere in each of our lives is an area that we have been distracted and overwhelmed in by a problem and melted.WHAT DO WE DO?Numbers 14 gives us a clue to help. People who are weeping, complaining, and exhibiting all the other fruits of the melted heart help for them is available for them. And if we find ourselves in that state help is there for us as well.Numbers 14:1-91. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!3. And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:7. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.8. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.9. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them notYou will not get help during a time of crying and murmuring. You must have a teachable, listening, receptive heart.Verse 9 tells us to not rebel against the Lord. ( not believing and not acting on His word is rebelling ). Neither fear the people (problems). And the Lord is with us.

The NUMBER ONE thing that we need to be reminded of when facing a melted heart is THE LORD IS WITH US. DON’T FEAR THE PROBLEM. Don’t become so taken with the problem, so captivated with the enormity of the circumstances that we forget THE LORD IS WITH US.DEUT. 1:28-33 tells us more of what Moses told them. Not only is God with you, and fighting your battles, but remember what He has done.Deuteronomy 1:28-3328. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.29. Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.30. The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;31. And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.32. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,33. Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.In verse 30 Moses told them the Lord goes before them and fights for them and to remember what they saw the Lord do in Egypt with their own eyes. One of the tools Moses used to minister and try to turn the melted hearts of the people was to put them in remembrance of what the Lord had done for them in the past. They only got depleted when they focused on the problems facing them. Could that which Moses tried to do be a key ingredient to waiting on the Lord.ISAIAH 40:3131. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.Wait: bind together.. To expectThis word stresses the straining of the mind in a certain direction, with an expectant attitude. A forward look with assurance. We can renew our strength by putting ourselves in remembrance of what the Lord has done in the past. His character, His history, His faithfulness. Sarah received strength to conceive because she judged Him ( Faithful who promised ). The Faithfulness of God. Remembering what God has done for you in the past will re-energize your melted heart. It will put passion back in your life again. It will put drive in your actions.However so many people today are so focused on the problems facing them that they have forgotten what the Lord has done for them in the past. Which is key to knowing that He will be faithful today and tomorrow as well. Looking back at the faithfulness of God will give you strength to continue to possess that which looks impossible to possess.WHY ?Because if He has been faithful in the past He will be faithful in the present and in the future.WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU HAVE A MELTED HEART?In the children of Israel’s case they had Moses, Aaron, Joshua, And Caleb to step in. How many of you realize that most of us don’t have that many people who will step in when our hearts become melted. A lot of us don’t have people that are brave enough, knowledgeable enough, that are concerned enough when the see our heart overwhelmed, that they will feel free enough to step into our life and re-energize us with words, right words. To remind us when God was faithful to us in situations in the past. And how He will be faithful to us right now as we trust and rely on Him. Not a lot of people in our lives that are brave enough to do that. Not a lot of people in our lives concerned enough to do that.I have to be more concerned about my heart than others are concerned about my heart. That way if no ne else step up to put me in remembrance of the Faithfulness of God in my life, I can do it. I have to keep myself in remembrance like David did. You will have to be that way also about your own heart. Then you need to look for others that need help and be that one who steps in and reminds them of God’s faithfulness and encourage them to look to the answer and not to focus on the problem. Don’t focus on the enormity of the problems. Joshua is getting ready to lead a huge multitude of people into the promised land. There will be many problems and distractions. The Lord gave Joshua some words that would cause him to be able to have the strength to go, and to do, and resist the melted heart, and to minister to those who have a melted heart. JOSHUA 1:55. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.In this verse the word STAND means: to put one in a stationary place in front of you in order to block you.When you endeavor to possess the land ( or promises of God ) people and circumstances will try to block you. The thing to keep your eyes upon, the thing that will keep you going, when problems and people endeavor to block you, Is This Truth.AS I WAS WITH MOSES SO WILL I BE WITH YOU. I WILL NEVER FAIL YOU. I WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU. I’LL NEVER FALL SHORT. I’LL NEVER BE UNSUCCESSFUL IN OBTAINING A DESIRED END. I’LL NEVER LOSE MY STRENGTH. I WILL NEVER DENOUNCE YOU. I WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU.Why did God say as I was with Moses so will I be with you? Because when you face overwhelming situations, if you get distracted by them, you just might come to the conclusion that you are in it alone.If we will remember just this one thing," As I was with Moses so will I be with you." It will strengthen you and give you the no matter what comes we will overcome it attitude. The toll that He gave Joshua to stand in the face of overwhelming situations is the fact that He is with us and is faithful. As David said, " When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." He is faithful. Let that get into your heart. Israel would not let that get into their hearts, and they gave up and quit time after time.When problems pop up don’t faint, or become overwhelmed, and distracted with the problems to the point that you forget to do what God said to do about it. Get the Word of God on it and know He is faithful to perform that word. Problems come to face us all no matter who or what we are in life. When a problem pops up go on the attack. He is faithful, reliable, and dependable. He is trustworthy. He will help us. We are not in it alone.Each one of us must look deep into our own hearts and check ourselves.Here is our check list. See if we do any of these in any area of our lives.1. Have we lost our drive, passion, or desire.2. Do we hold or draw back.3. Have we fainted and given up.4. Do we not go where God said to go.5. Do we not say what God said to say.6. Do we not do what God said to do.7. Do we murmur.8. Do we complain.9. Do we weep a lot.If we are doing these thing then we are experiencing a melted heart.Then I say remember His faithfulness to us in the past and it will strengthen us to go on. It will help us to have the courage to go possess the promises, and go and do what He has purposed us to do. His will cause us to stop looking at things as impossibilities. It will help us to not be distracted and depleted by problems and overwhelmed and melted, and pass on what we know. Let us help and encourage others. Let us be instruments of Gods Love towards others that need help... May we all not live in a melted condition ever again....The children of Israel always wanted to turn back and hang on to things that would not help get them out of a melted heart but only cause more defeat. It reminds me of a story of how natives would catch monkeys. They would make a box with a banana`in it for bait. They would stake the box down and have a hole just big enough for the monkey to get his hand in but not back out while grasping the banana. The native would hide behind a tree and wait. A monkey would come by and see the banana and reach in and grab it, and then the native would come over and beat the monkey to death because once he grabbed the banana he would not let go of it. Let go of the problems because if you don’t you will be just like those monkeys. The devil will beat you silly while you hold onto the problem. You must not focus on the problem but rather the answer. All the monkey had to do was let go of the banana and he could have pulled his hand out and gotten away. All you have to do is let go of the problem and focus on what the Lord says about it and you will run free and your impossibilities will become possibilities.

Friday, April 11, 2008

.............SQUATTERS THE DEVIL IS A SQUATTER WHAT IS A SQUATTER? SQUATTING MEANS FINDING SOME EMPTY HOUSING AND MOVING YOURSELF IN WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LANDLORD. YOU MOVE IN AND ACT AS IF YOU BELONG. YOU CONDUCT YOURSELF JUST LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE. WE WERE ALL DEAD MEN WALKING BEFORE WE CAME TO CHRIST. WE ALL WERE DEAD IN OUR TRESPASSES AND SINS. WE WERE ALL WALKING IN THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, BUT JESUS GAVE US A WAY TO A NEW BIRTH, AND WE CAN BECOME A NEW CREATION. Ephesians 2:1-10 1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them NOW AFTER WE BECOME A NEW CREATION WE MUST REALIZE THAT OUR SPIRIT HAS BECOME NEW AND ALIVE TO GOD, BUT WE STILL HAVE THE SAME MIND. NO NEW BRAIN OR DATA IN THAT BRAIN. WE WILL STILL BE DRAWN TO ACT AS BEFORE IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT OUR MIND. IT IS LIKE AN ON BOARD COMPUTER. COMPUTERS ONLY FUNCTION ON WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN PROGRAMED TO DO. HOW DO WE OVER COME THIS PROBLEM? WE MUST REPROGRAM OUR MINDSROMANS 12:1-2 TELLS US TO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT TO BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS. TRANSFORMED MEANS TO CHANGE TO ANOTHER FORM. WE MUST CHANGE OUR MINDS FROM THE WORLDS WAY OF THINKING TO GODS WAY OF THINKING, AND WE THEN WILL CONFORM TO GODS WAY AND LEAVE THE WORLDS WAY BEHIND.WEBSTERS DEFINITION OF TRANSFORMED:1 a : to change in composition or structure b : to change the outward form or appearance of c : to change in character or conditionTHE DEVIL HAD THE RIGHT TO RULE AND LORD OVER US WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN OUR SINS AND TRESPASSES, BUT ONCE WE BECAME A NEW CREATION HE WAS KICKED OUT. HE REALLY THINKS HE STILL OWNS YOU AND HE WILL TRY TO COME BACK IN, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED TO FILL YOURSELF AND YOUR MIND WITH THE WORD OF GOD THE DEVIL WILL FIND A CLEAN HOUSE AND TRY TO MOVE BACK IN. HE IS A SQUATTER NOW, NOT AN OWNER.HE REALLY BELIEVES YOU BELONG TO HIM. LET'S LOOK AT MATTHEW 12:43-45 AS IT WILL SHOW US WHAT THE DEVIL THINKS ABOUT US AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO FURNISH OUR HOUSE BY RENEWING OUR MINDS. MATTHEW 12: 43-45 43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.IN VERSE 44 THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT AFTER BEING KICKED OUT SAYS " I WILL RETURN TO MY HOUSE. HE COMES AND CHECKS IT OUT AND FINDS IT SWEPT AND CLEAN AND GARNISHED. HE FOUND IT CLEAN AND COSMETICALLY ADORNED, BUT NOTHING SOUND IN IT. THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT STILL THINKS IT IS HIS HOUSE.THIS IS A PICTURE OF A PERSON THAT HAS GOTTEN SAVED AND DONE NOTHING TO GROW IN CHRIST AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE, THERE HAS BEEN NO RENEWING OF THE MIND, AND NO TRANSFORMING FROM THE WORLD TO GODS KINGDOM. THEY PUT ON A PLASTIC FACE AND SAY THE RIGHT WORDS AND GO TO CHURCH, BUT ARE EMPTY AND MALNOURISHED INSIDE.SWEPT AND CLEAN AND GARNISHED. SUPERFICIAL, SHALLOW, EXTERNAL, PRESENTING ONLY AN APPEARANCE, WITHOUT SUBSTANCE OR SIGNIFICANCE. LACKING IN DEPTH OR SOLIDITY. A LACK OF DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE, REASONING, EMOTION, OR CHARACTER:moral excellence and firmness.Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.WE CAN MAKE OUR EXTERIOR LOOK SO GOOD. AND BE SO BAD AND EMPTY INSIDE. WHEN WE COME TO CHRIST AND BECOME BRAND NEW AND OUR HOUSE IS SWEPT AND CLEAN AND WE HAVE DECORATED THE EXTERIOR, LET'S NOT STOP THERE BUT FILL THE INSIDE WITH GODS WORD, AND WALK IN HIS PROMISES AND RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE.THE MAN WHO DID NOTHING TO THE INSIDE PAID A HEAVY PRICE. THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT CAME BACK AND SAW A CLEAN AND DECORATED HOUSE AND WENT AND BROUGHT BACK WITH HIM SEVEN MORE WICKED THAN HE AND MOVED RIGHT BACK IN. DON'T LET THE SQUATTERS IN. THEY WILL DESTROY THE PLACE. THEY WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE. THEY WILL STEAL YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR FINANCES. RENEW YOUR MINDS TO THE WORD AND LET GOD RESTORE ALL THE SQUATTING DEVIL TOOK FROM YOU.REMEMBER THE ONLY RIGHTS SQUATTERS HAVE ARE THE ONES YOU GIVE THEM BY YOUR LACK OF CONCERN AND LACK OF DOING ANYTHING TO KEEP THEM OUT. THE DEVIL HAS NO RIGHT TO RULE IN YOUR LIFE, BUT HE WILL TRY, AND IF YOU DON'T RESIST HIM HE WILL TAKE OVER AND BRING TROUBLE IN WITH HIM.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

EDIFICATION " YOU CAN COOK "You can help another person bring out their gift and change the course of their life with a word of encouragement and edification, A word to build up and uplift instead of tear down.Romans 15: 1-31. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.2. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.3. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.[ That means you step in and deflect the rebukes and put downs, and offer edification and uplifting words to those who were being attacked. ]

Jeremiah 1:5 KVJ.5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.Passage Jeremiah 29:11 KJV.11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.Passage Acts 10:34 KJV.34. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord is telling Jeremiah that he knew him before he was formed, and that he had sanctified, and ordained him before he was born.Later on in chapter 29 verse 11 the Lord tells him that the thoughts toward him were of peace and not evil, and to give him an expected end. [ the word translated thoughts is better translated as plans. ] In the new testament Peter in Acts 10:34 tells us God is no respecter of persons. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO US?It means that the lord knew us all, and gifted us all, and has a plan and purpose forus all, with an expected end. A plan of peace and not evil. We need to find out what that plan is and walk it out in our lives.

Passage Proverbs 18:16 KJV.16. A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.1 Timothy 1:1414. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.2 Timothy 1:66. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.Not all of us have had gifts imparted to us by the laying on of hands, however we all have gift that have been imparted to us by the Lord. We need to find out what those gifts are and then not neglect them and stir them us and walk in them.

Passage 2 Corinthians 10:8 KJV.8. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:[ All of us should as Paul stated, use our authority in the Lord to build up others, and not to tear others down. ]Everybody has a gift, a purpose, something they do well.. The trouble is some of us never realize that gift. Satan will do his best to get other to put us down so that we never realize the gift and it’s potential. Or he will maneuver us to use our gift wrong or unwisely. EXAMPLE.. The gift of Gab ( talking ) can be used to edify, uplift, and minister, however it can be used wrongly to gossip and put down.When a person knows they have a gift, they have two choices to make concerning that gift.1. They view the gift as something others may not understand. Others may not view it the same way as they do. So they put it away and never use it. They never realize the gifts potential, or the givers intention as to the use of the gift.2. Or they realize the gift is to valuable to not be used and use it regardless of what others may say.However many have unrealized gifts in them and never see it, because they are looking for a huge life changing thing, when the gift is small and must be used for it to grow and become it’s full potential in life.I’m going to tell you a true story, where three words of encouragement changed the course of a mans life. It uplifted and gave him confidence. Those three words brought out his gift, and in the process helped many others and our economy at the same time. His gift effected a nation. However had it not been for a caring and discerning person who uttered those three words it never would have come forth.This man had tried everything to get ahead in life. He applied to law school and was turned down. He tried all forms of businesses and was rejected. He simply was not what anyone wanted. No one thought he had anything to offer. He eventually got married, but could never get into any business, that could make it possible for he and his wife to live a comfortable life. He settled into a ho hum life as a dish washer/cook, never being able to put any money aside for retirement. At 65 he retired and received his first social security check. It was for 105 dollars. He was devastated, and decided to end his life. He wrote a final note, and headed out the door to kill himself. His wife felt something was up and stopped him asking him what he was up to. He told her the story of how he was going to end it, because he could do nothing worth anything. Sure you can she said. YOU CAN COOK were the next three words she said to him. He said do you really think so. She said yes you can cook. After all these years he realized his gift was being able to cook. He took his 105 dollars and went to the bank and borrowed 87 more dollars . He bought chickens and started cooking them in his special recipe, and selling them out of his house. It got so popular he tried to vend it through restaurants. He went to seek anyone that would sell his product. He was turned down 1,014 times, however on the 1,015th time he met a man by the name of John Y. Brown. John Brown said, " Col. Harlin Sanders I believe we can do business. Kentucky Fried Chicken was born.3 simple words of encouragement changed the destiny of not just Mr. Sanders, but many others. It gave thousands of people jobs. Construction people who build the restaurants, people who work in the restaurants, those who make the napkins, plates, containers, cups, and work in the restaurants. And so many more in this nation that do thinks connected with Kentucky Fried Chicken. It all started with 3 words of encouragement, which brought out his gift. The gift was in him all the time, but he was looking for something big right off the bat. When that something big was in him all the time. It just needed to be recognized, planted, and allowed to grow, like a seed.Don’t overlook what you do best, for it will be your gift, and it will make room for you. Always look for opportunities to edify and encourage others helping to bring their gifts out. Never join the crowd that is browbeating a person, but rather be a deflector, a shield for that person, and give them words that build them up.3 words of encouragement took a man and his 105 dollars from suicide to helping hundreds of thousands of people and the economy of a nation. It took him from feeling worthless and unsuccessful with 105 dollars, to when he sold the business for 2 billion dollars. Realize this your gift in not only for you, but also to help others.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATIONIt has been said that there are pastors in churches today that are not born-a-gain Christians in our denominational churches. Some are in it as a profession. Others under deceptions like many who sit in pews and feel because they have gone to church all their lives that they are Christians, or that they are because they feel they are a good person. Some even think doing good works gets them into heaven and they therefore must be a Christian. None of which causes a person to become born-a-gain. Some churches you could walk into are simply dead because the pastor and the people have not pursued the word of God and walked in the light of that word. Others are dead because lost people are running the church. SOUNDS HARD TO BELIEVE. I was listening to a minister that once taught in a Bible School. Over the years he taught many people of various ages and backgrounds. One group that came was made up of pastors that had been pastors for 20, 30, 40 years in denominational churches and decided to go to Bible school to learn more about the Word of God. Within that group over the years several were shocked to realize that they had never confessed Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives and gave their lives to Christ at Bible School. SO NEVER ASSUME THAT ALL WHO ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY ,OR EVEN MINISTER, OR SAY THEY ARE CHRISTIANS REALLY ARE BORN-A-GAIN. THEY MAY THINK THEY ARE, THEY MAY BELIEVE THEY ARE, BUT UPON WHAT HAVE THEY BASED THAT BELIEF.

I do not know who is or is not Saved. I do not know if any here tonight believe they are saved and are not. Whether any have based salvation on being a good person, church attendance, good works, or the simple fact that their parents were Christians. I do not know all the reasons that sidetrack people into following an idea that takes them down a wrong path, for there are many. I do not know who is over hearing this message, or the state of their lives, or upon what that state is based.THIS IS WHAT I DO KNOW. THE REAL QUESTION IS, "WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH JESUS?"JOHN 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.WE MUST BE SO WATCHFUL ABOUT HOW WE LOOK AT THINGS. JESUS IS THE WAY, NOT A WAY. WE HEAR SO MANY SAY WE ARE ALL TRYING TO GET TO THE SAME PLACE, ONLY WE ARE ALL TAKING DIFFERENT PATHS TO GET THERE. NO THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY. I WAS IN A CHURCH AND A MAN WAS TEACHING, WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A GREAT REVELATION ABOUT THE SONG, " AWAY IN A MANGER." THE WORD AWAY IS USED AS AN ADVERB OR AND ADJECTIVE. IT MODIFIES A VERB OR A NOUN. THIS MAN SPENT THE HOUR CHANGING THE WORD AWAY INTO A WAY. A WAY IS A NOUN. HE SAID THERE WAS A WAY LYING IN THAT MANGER AND MADE IT SOUND SO GOOD, HOWEVER WHAT HE WAS TEACHING WAS WRONG. FOR IF JESUS WAS A WAY, THEN THAT MEANS THERE ARE OTHER WAYS. WHAT YOU MUST SETTLE IN YOUR HEART AND MINDS IS THAT JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY, OR YOU CAN BE LEAD ASTRAY, AND LEAD OTHERS DOWN A WRONG PATH.YOU MAY HAVE HEARD PEOPLE SAY TO CONFESS YOUR SINS. SOME EVEN SAY GET THEM ALL OUT EVERY ONE OF THEM. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE SINS YOU HAVE COMMITTED BEFORE YOU COME TO CHRIST, IT’S ABOUT YOUR SIN NATURE, AND BEING A LOST SINNER. IT’S ABOUT BECOMING A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST. WHEN JOHN SAID THAT IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE OUR SINS HE WAS SPEAKING TO THE CHURCH. HE WAS SPEAKING TO BORN-A-GAIN PEOPLE NOT LOST PEOPLE WHO NEEDED TO BECOME A NEW CREATION. HE WAS SPEAKING TO ONE’S THAT NEEDED TO BE KEPT IN RIGHT STANDING AND FELLOWSHIP. WHOLE DENOMINATIONS HAVE HARPED ON LOST PEOPLE TO COME TO THE ALTER AND CONFESS YOUR SINS, YES GET THEM ALL OUT, HOWEVER IT IS NOT ABOUT GETTING THE SINS OUT. IT IS ABOUT GETTING THE SIN NATURE OUT. IT IS ABOUT BECOMING A NEW CREATION IN GOD. IT IS ABOUT THE OLD MAN PASSING AWAY , AND A NEW MAN BEING BORN.1 John 1:1-10 KJV.1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 KJV.1. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.2. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME, NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATIONIT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT NOW IS THE TIME.OCTOBER 8TH, 1871 IS A DATE MANY PEOPLE RECOGNIZE. IT IS A DAY IN HISTORY THAT A MAJOR EVENT TOOK PLACE. I’LL TELL YOU WHAT THAT WAS, BUT FIRST I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NOT AS WELL PUBLICIZED AND VERY IMPORTANT TO THIS TEACHING THAT HAPPENED ON THAT DATE IN HISTORY. THERE WAS A YOUNG MINISTER PREACHING THERE IN CHICAGO, AND GREAT CROWDS WERE COMING. ON OCTOBER THE 8TH IT WAS THE BIGGEST CROWD HE HAD EVER SPOKEN TO IN HIS LIFE. THIS MINISTER WAS DWIGHT L. MOODY, AND HIS MESSAGE THAT NIGHT WAS " WHAT SHALL I DO WITH JESUS?" AFTER THE ALTER SONG Mr. MOODY TOLD THE CONGREGATION, " I’LL GIVE YOU A WEEK TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH JESUS." THAT VERY NIGHT WAS THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE OF 1871 THAT DESTROYED THE CITY AND MANY WHO WERE IN THAT MEETING PERISHED THAT NIGHT NEVER TO GET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR AND LORD. Mr. MOODY SAID, " I LEARNED THAT NIGHT WHEN I PREACH, TO PRESS CHRIST UPON THE PEOPLE AND TRY TO BRING THEM TO A DECISION ON THE SPOT."BACK IN 2003 MY FATHER-IN-LAW SPOKE TO ME OF LOST OPPORTUNITY AND HOW IT BOTHERED HIM THAT HE NEVER OBEYED THE LORD ONE NIGHT. THE LORD INSTRUCTED HIM TO WITNESS TO A MAN WORKING AT A GAS STATION AND HE PUT IT OFF SAYING I’LL DO IT LATER THIS WEEK. THAT NIGHT THE MAN WAS KILLED IN A CAR WRECK. MY FATHER-IN-LAW CARRIED THAT WITH HIM THE REST OF HIS LIFE WONDERING WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, AND WAS HE THE LAST ONE THAT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REACH THAT MAN FOR CHRIST BEFORE HIS TIME ON EARTH WAS NO MORE. LOST OPPORTUNITIES ARE HARD REGRETS TO CARRY. IF WE CARRY REGRETS LIKE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE THEM TO THE LORD AND REPENT FOR NOT DOING WHAT WE SHOULD OF , AND RECEIVE FORGIVENESS, AND THEN GRASP EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT PRESENTS ITSELF TO US, AND MAKE THE MOST OF THE SITUATION FOR CHRIST. OPPORTUNITY IS A RESTLESS THING IT DEMANDS ATTENTION RIGHT NOW, OR IT DEPARTS.GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS PROVIDED THE WAY TO ENTER INTO HIS FAMILY.Passage John 3:16 KJV.16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.GOD IS NOT COUNTING UP SINS2 COR. 5:17-19 KJV.17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.18. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;19. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliationROMANS 10:1,8-19,13 KJV.Romans 101. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.8. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.ARE YOU SAVED OR ARE YOU NOT, AND DID YOU BASE THAT DECISION ON JESUS AND JESUS ALONE?Question: "What is the Romans Road to salvation?"Answer: The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Book of Romans.The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23, teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sin is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!The third verse on the Romans road to salvation picks up where Romans 6:23 left off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for us!The fourth stop on the Romans road to salvation is Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."YOU HEAR SOME SAY YOU HAVE TO STAY TILL YOU PRAY THROUGH, WELL THAT IS TRUE, ONLY ONCE YOU CONFESS HIM AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR YOU HAVE PRAYED THROUGHALL YOU NEED TO DO AFTER YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE A LOST SINNER AND NEED RECONCILED TO GOD IS TO SIMPLY SAY LORD JESUS I SEE I AM A LOST SINNER AND NEED YOU, AND I BELIEVE IN MY HEART THAT YOU DIED AND GOD RAISE YOU FROM THE DEAD FOR ME, AND I CONFESS YOU AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR, AND I GIVE MYSELF OVER TO YOU. I AM NOW ONE OF GOD’S CHILDREN...I AM NOW SAVED.. AMEN

Friday, March 14, 2008

FACING THE CROSS ....New Living Translation Passage Jeremiah 29:11For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. King James Version Passage Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Amplified Bible Passage Romans 11:29For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.] New Living Translation Passage Psalm 37:23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.He delights in every detail of their lives. King James Version Passage Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. We all have been gifted and called to a destiny unique to each of us. If we or our gifts don’t seem to fit, then we are either out of step or in the wrong place. If that is the case we need to seek God’s wisdom and direction in our lives and get back on track. I have a joke that uses animals to illustrate this the difference being animals are in the wrong places many times because of men, and they can't do anything about their situation.. Camel Joke A mother and a baby camel are talking one day when the baby camel asks, " Mom , why have I got these three-toed feet?" The mother replies,"Well, son, when we trek across the desert your toes will help you to stay on top of the soft sand." "Ok,"said the son. A few minutes later the son asks, "Mom, why have I got these great long eyelashes?" " They are to keep the sand out of your eyes on those trips through the desert." "Thanks, Mom" replies the son. After a short while, the son returns and asks, "Mom, why have I got these great big humps on my back?" The Mother, now a little impatient with the boy, replies,"They are there to help us store fat for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods." "That’s great , Mom. So we have huge feet to stop us from sinking, and long eyelashes to keep sand from our eyes, and these humps to store water, but Mom.." "Yes, son?" "Why are we in the San Diego zoo?" Sometimes we are like those camels. We are in the wrong place for the gifts and call on our lives. Not much the camels could do about it, however we can do something about our situation. Jesus came into this world gifted and called. His steps were ordered of the Lord. He had a race to run, goals to reach, before he went back to heaven, and on to his other ministries. He had many things to teach, reveal, and fulfill. The Last Supper was one of these steps in His race towards the Cross. There are four gospels. Not every event was recorded in all four. The events that are recorded in more than one will give us different views of the same event through the eyes of the recorder. Different things will stand out to each individual and they will record those things. The Last Supper was one of those events, which was recorded in all four gospels. We will never know, this side of heaven, what all took place that night, at that supper. This was the last time Jesus would have all the disciples together with him before the cross. Jesus had many things to teach and reveal to them that evening. Each writer speaks of the bread and the wine representing the broken body and blood of Jesus except John, however he recorded much more of what Jesus said that night, that the others did not record.. Many things took place that night and each writer also spoke of things that stood out to them. Just as tonight each of you here in this room will have different things which stand out to you. Same event seen through many different eyes and heard through many different ears. When we listen to and read about the event through many different people, we get a more rounded view of what took place. Let’s look at the night through the eyes, ears, and writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was teaching, revealing, and fulfilling scripture. Passage Matthew 26:17-54: 17Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? 18And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. 19And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. 20Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. 22And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? 23And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 24The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. 25Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. [ Matthew notes that they sang a hymn before they left to go to the mount of olives] 31Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. 32But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 33Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 34Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. [ Jesus gave a word to them about how all of them would be offended because of Him.] 50. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him. 51. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54. But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? [ also one of them sliced off the ear of the High Priest’s servant. And Jesus reveals that all of heaven is at His call. And that if he would make that call twelve legions of angels would come and defend him, however the scripture would go unfulfilled. So it must be so that He go to and through the cross.] ( These are some of the things that stood out to Matthew ) Passage Mark 14:15-31.47 (KJV.) 15. And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. 16. And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 17. And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. 18. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me. 19. And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? 20. And he answered and said unto them, It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the dish. 21. The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. 22. And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25. Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 27. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 47. And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. [ MARK pretty much follows Matthews account. ] Passage Luke 22:15-32: 15. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18. For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. 21. But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed! 23. And they began to enquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. (24. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.) [ Luke picks up on some strife among the disciples as to which of them should be accounted the greatest] (25. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.) [Jesus explained how Kings of the gentiles exercise lordship. How they exercise authority over the people. How it’s not to be so in the kingdom of God. The the Chief should be the servant.] 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30. That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.) [ Luke gives us some more of what Jesus spoke to Peter that night,which Matthew left out.](51. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.) [Luke noticed that Jesus healed the servants ear that one of them cut off. He noticed the miracle of the healing Jesus worked. Matthew and Mark noticed the cutting off of the ear. Luke noticed the healing of the ear by Jesus.]